Vehicle-top.



v PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

J. A. HEM SLEY.

VEHIOLB TOP.- T

APPLICATION E'ILED APB- 25,1907- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 873,233. PATENTED DEC. 10, 1907.

J. A. HBM'SLEY. VEHICLE TOP.

APPLIOIATION FILED APR.25,190 7.

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JOSEPH APPLEGATE HEMSLEY, OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY VEHICLE-TOP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 10, 1907.

Application filed April 25. 1907. Serial No. 370261.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH A. HEMsLEY, citizen of the United States,residing at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey,have invented new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Tops, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to adjustable tops for wagons and other vehicles;and it contemplates the provision of a simple and easily adjusted topembodying such a construction that the top when down does not take upany portion of the space in the vehicle body.

Other advantageous features of the invention will be fully understoodfrom the following description and claims when the same are read inconnection with the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a portion of a wagon embodyingmy invention; the top being shown as up. Fig. 2 is a broken rearelevation of my improvements. Fig. 3 is a detail horizontal sectiontaken in the plane indicated by line 33 of Fig. 2, looking downward.Fig. 4 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of the upper portion ofone of the uprights of the novel top. Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig.1, showing the top as down or in its idle position. inverted plan view,and Fig. 7, a detail vertical section showing one of the curtain barsand the means for fastening the same.

Similar letters designate corresponding parts in all of the views of thedrawings, referring to which:

A is the body of the vehicle, which may be of any description withoutaffecting my in- Lyention.

B is a seat of the ordinary or any other approved construction arrangedon the body A in the usual or any other suitable manner, and C C are theuprights of my novel top. Each of the said u rights 0 is carried by alateral bracket D ed to the seat B, and each is provided with avertical, transverselydisposed guideway c, a housing 6 atits upper end,and a keeper 0 arranged in the upper portion of the guideway a andcontained in the housing I), as illustrated. For the sake of cheapnessand durability, I prefer to construct the uprights C in the specificmanner illustratedthat is to say, I prefer to have each upright comprisea main portion d of gas pipe, a threaded stud e fixed in the lower endof the gas pipe portion and designed to Fig. 6 is a detail extendthrough an aperture in one bracket D to receive a nut f, a metallicstrap 9 having a lateral apertured arm h at its lower end receiving thethreaded stud e and interposed between the lower end of the gas pipeportion (1 and the bracket D, and also having a lateral apertured arm 1'at its upper end positioned with its aperture in alinement with the gasipe portion d, and sheet-metal, or other suitable material fixed to thegas pipe portion d and the strap 9, and arranged to form the beforedescribed housing I). The keeper 0 in the housing I) is preferablybeveled and arranged relative to the other parts of the upright afterthe manner best shown in Fig. 4. I also prefer to connect the uprights Cin the manner shown- L. e. through the medium of a cross-rod E havingdepending portions j at its ends extending through the upper aperturedarms 71 of the straps g and down into the gas pi e portions d of theuprights. As will be rea ily appreciated uprights constructed andconnected together 1n the specific manner just described constitute aninexpensive supporting frame for a top and one that is well adapted towithstand the practical usage to which such devices are ordinarilysubjected.

F is the top of my improvements, which per so may be of any shape andconstruction compatible with the purpose of my invention, though Iprefer to shape and construct the said top as illustrated. I also preferto provide the side bars m of the top F with depending, headedprojections 77., and to detachably connect to the said headedprojections bars G; the said bars being provided with apertures p toloosely receive the rojections n, and being equipped with hoo s g whichare pivoted to their under sides and are arranged to be swung into andout of enga ement with the projections n to detachab y fasten the barson said projections. The bars G are designed to carry curtains H,portions of which are illustrated, and by virtue of the constructiondescribed it will be apparent that the bars G may be expeditiously andeasily conneced to the side bars m of the top F when it is desired touse the curtains II and may be as readily removed from the said sidebars m when it is not desired to use the said curtains.

I I are lateral rojections carried at the rear ends of the side bars mof top F and designed to rest and move at the rear sides of the straps gcomprised in the uprights C.

J J are latches movable endwise in guides on the rear cross-bar of top Fand through openings in the side bars m and normally extending beyondthe side bars m so as to rest and travel in the guideways a afforded be;

tween the gas pipe portions and the straps of the uprights O, K K aresprings connecting the said latches and the top and designed to returnthe latches to and normally hold the same in the positions stated.

L L are finger pieces movable in guides on the rear cross-bar of the topF and having rearwardly extending portions extending through and movablein a slot 8 in said rear cross-bar, and M M are connections intermediatethe said finger pieces and the latches J for moving the latter inward bythe former. In this latter connection it will be noticed that when anoperator draws the rearwardly extended portions of the finger pie ces Ltogether, the latches J will be drawn inward against the actions of thesprings K; also, that when the said finger pieces are released, thesprings K will operate to throw the latches outward and hold the same inan extended position relative to the top F.

P P are top-pro s, hinged at t to the seat B and at u to the orwardortion of the top F. These props have for their oflice to serve as staysin supporting the forward portion of the top F when the latter is in theposition shown in Fig. 1, and by reference to Fig. 5 it will be seenthat the said rops do not interfere with the top F reing p aced in theidle position shown in said figure.

In the practical use of my improvements, the latches J serve when thetop F is moved from the position shown in Fig. 5 to that shown in Fig.1, to guide the rear portion of the top in its vertical movement, andthey also serve to ride up over and assume a position above the keepersc, and in that manner support the rear portion of the top F. When itdesired to lower the top or shift the same from the position shown inFig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 5, the operator has but to press the fingerpieces L together so as to draw the latches J out of engagement with thekeepers c, and then lower the rear portion of the top F until thelatches clear the keepers. The operator then releases the finger piecesL so as to enable the latches to resume their positions in the guidewaysa, and with this done moves the top F downward until its rear cross-barrests on top of the rear wall of the seat B. In this latter position thetop F will be retained by gravity, and in such position it will bereadily seen that the top takes up no part of the space in the body A ofthe vehicle which is the chief advantage of my improvements. When it isdesired to raise the top F from the position shown in Fig. 5 to thatshown in Fig. 1, the operator has but to move the rear portion of thetop F upward until the latches J pass and assume a osition above thekeepers a, when said Patches will obviously secure the rear portion ofthe top in its raised position. Incident to the described adjustments ofthe top F, the props P will follow and accommodate them selves to thepositions of the top F so as to brace and support the forward portion ofthe top when the latter is raised, and yet not interfere with the topbeing moved into the position shown in Fig. 5.

I prefer for obvious reasons to connect my novel top to the seat B of avehicle, but l do not desire to be understood as confining myself tosuch arrangement for the reason that any part of a vehicle maybeutilized as a support for my novel top without involving departure fromthe scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Patent, is:

1. The combination of a support, uprights fixed to and rising from thesupport, keepers carried at the upper portions of the said uprights, atop arranged to be moved bodily from a raised horizontal position to alowered upright position and vice-versa, said top having latchesarranged to cooperate with the keepers of the uprights, and means for'supporting the forward portion of the top when the top is in its raisedposition.

2. The combination of a su 'iport, a top arranged to be moved bodilyfrom a raised horizontal position to a lowered upright posi tion andvice versa, uprights fixed to and rising from the support and connectedwith and arranged to guide the rear portion of the top in the verticalmovements thereof and provided with means for su 'iporting the said rearportion in its raised position, and props extending between and pivota yconnected to the support and the front portion of the top.

3. The combination of a support, uprights fixed to and rising from saidsupport and having vertical guideways and keepers located in the upperportions of the guideways, an adjustable top, latches carried by the topand arranged in tho guideways of the uprights and movable past thekeepers and adapted to assume positions above said keepers, and propsconnecting the said top with the said support.

1. The combination of a vehicle body, seat carried thereby and having arear wall, uprights fixed to and rising from the end portions of theseat at the rear thereof and having vertical guideways and keeperslocated in the upper portions of the guideways, a top adjustable bodilyand arranged when lowered to rest in a substantially upright positionbetween the uprights and with its rear ends resting on the rear wall ofthe seat, latches carried by the top and arranged in the guideways ofthe uprights and movable past the keepers and adapted to assume posi-vtions above said keepers, and props connecting the seat and the top.

5. The combination of a vehicle body, a seat carried thereby, uprightsfixed to and rising from the end portions of the seat at the rearthereof and having vertical guideways and also having housings at theirupper ends and beveled keepers arranged in the guideways and containedin said housings, a crossbar connecting the upper portions of theuprights, an adjustable top, latches carried by the top and movable inthe guide-2v ays of the uprights; said latches being movable in thedirection of their length with respect to the top, springs for movingsaid latches outward, finger pieces connected with the latches andcarried by the top and adapted for use in drawing the latches inward,and props connecting the seat and the top.

6. The combination of a vehicle'body, a

seat carried thereby, uprights fixed to brackets on the seat andrespectively comprising a gas pipe portion, a threaded stud fixed in thelower end of the gas pipe portion and extending through an aperture inone bracket, a nut arranged on the threaded stud below the bracket, ametallic strap arranged parallel to the gas pipe portion and having alateral apertured arm at its lower end receiving the threaded stud andinterposed between the bracket and the gas pipe portion, and also havinga lateral apertured arm at its upperend, a housing arranged on the upperportions of the gas pipe portion and strap, and a beveled keeperarranged in the housing and'between the gas pipe portion and the strap,a cross-bar having depending portions disposed in the upper aperturedarms of the straps and the upper endsof the gas pipe portions of theuprights, an adjustable top, latches carried by the top and arranged inthe guideways of the uprights and movable past the beveled keepers andadapted to assume positions above said keepers, and props connecting thesaid top with the seat.

7. The combination of a support, uprights fixed to and rising from saidsupport and having vertical guideways and keepers located 1n the upperportions of the guideways, an adjustable top arranged to be adjustedfrom a horizontal position to a substantially upright position betweenthe uprights and vice versa, means carried by the top and movable in theguideways of the uprights and arranged to cooperate with the keepers inthe guideways in supporting the top in its horizontal position and propsextending between and pivotally connected to the support and the frontportion of the top.

8. The combination of a vehicle body, a seat carried thereby, fixeduprights rising from the end portions of the seat at the rear thereofand provided adjacent to their upper ends with top-supporting means, atop connected at its rear with the uprights and arranged to be movedfrom a raised horizontal position in front of the uprights to a loweredsubstantially upright position and vice versa, and also arranged to beengaged by the said top-supporting means of the uprights, and

means for supporting the front portion of the top.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

JOSEPH APPLEGATE HEMSLEY.

Witnesses:

H. W. BRADLEY, F. R. ZELLEY.

